Exploring Face & Form
“Circus” by Carolyn Gibbs shows at The Drawing Studio’s “Go Figure” exhibit.
The Drawing Studio’s (TDS) fall season begins this month with an opening reception for Go Figure: On Being Human—Face and Form, an exhibit of portraits and figurative artwork by TDS associates. The reception is being held Saturday, Sept. 7 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the gallery’s downtown locale, 33 S. 6th Ave.
According to Rebecca Olson, the exhibit’s committee chair, “Our goal with this exhibit is to promote our ongoing life drawing sessions at TDS, and the practice of life drawing generally. TDS offers four life sessions per week, five in the fall and winter months. And it is an important benefit for our associates to be able to show figurative work that can be difficult to place in galleries.”
“The public loves this show,” says Katrina Lasko, TDS Exhibit Director, “and especially the members love it. For many, this may be the first time they have exhibited their work in a gallery. I think it is always an exciting exhibit. The theme changes each year. We have found at least in the past year our figurative and plein air exhibits are the most popular.”
Olson adds, “Go Figure includes a wide range of media and prices. In addition to drawings there are monoprints, collographs, encaustic, sculpture, watercolors and paintings in acrylic and oil, including a larger-than-life likeness of Johnny Depp.” Forty three artists submitted 83 works of art into the juried show and 67 pieces were accepted.
Katrina Lasko is showing two paintings. “Happy New Year is acrylic. I do work in oil, too. My narrative paintings are meant to function on several levels. Usually, the first level is tongue-in-cheek or rather sarcastic, and often hinted at with the title. Then, as one goes deeper, other connotations may occur to the viewer. In this painting, I am thinking of disappointments, a renewal that does or does not happen to my dismay, a general overwhelming sadness. The blues…..”
Carolyn Gibbs says of her oil painting, Circus, “I got very tight in painting portraits, and I wanted to take a looser, fresher approach. So I decided to let the paint and the shapes go where they will. I followed the shapes and created a red oil painting of a circus.”
Of her painting Actor, Christine Dawdy says, “The subject is a stuntwoman from Trail Dust Town and she’s very expressive. I called it ‘Actor’ as a working title. I studied with David Park at UC Berkeley in the late 50s. He was one of the Bay Area Realists. He was a great influence. I think people are important. I look at portraits and figure painting by the old masters, the Impressionists, etcetera, and think they are still very much alive.”
“Carla” by Rebecca Olson shows at The Drawing Studio in the “Go Figure” September exhibit.
What’s coming up next at The Drawing Studio? Lasko says, “After Go Figure in October we’ll have plein air show with interpretations of the Santa Rita Mountains and the proposed Rosemont mine. This exhibit will call attention to the area, the beautiful mountains and the fact that the mine may be happening there. This exhibit is called Seeing the Santa Ritas. These will be artworks about protecting our cultural natural heritage.”
A second exhibit in October is Monothon 2013. “We’ll have two days of workshops on monoprinting on Sept. 28 and 29. Students donate one monoprint to TDS as part of an October fundraiser exhibition,” Lasko adds.
Go Figure is on view from Sept. 7 through Sept. 28. In addition to the opening reception on Sept. 7, the gallery will be open Saturday, Sept. 14, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., during 2nd Saturdays Downtown. Regular hours are Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. For more information, visit TheDrawingStudio.org or call 620-0947.
Category: Arts
